Summary

Joby is a young drummer boy around 14 years old, he is camping with the rest of the soldiers in a pech field near to Shiloh, he is afraid of marching into battle with no weapons only his drum and his drumsticks.

In his time out, he begin to hear whisperings that came from the soldiers,he begin to count them they were hundreds of mans who would march into battle to fight, Joby reflects about his life and the soldiers lifes before the battle but the fear to death was constanly on his mind.

He thought that if he lay very still,the soldiers might go away with the battle and not notice him lying small there.

Lately someone founds him.First Joby thought that the general who get closed to him was someone rude and brave, but then he founds him a friendly person.

The general start talking with Joby ,trying to calm him. He told Joby ythat he also cryied last night,because he knew that the battle was hard to fight and also he knew that many soldiers would die,but he encourage Joby explaning to him how important was a drummer boy in a battle, what makes Joby strong to be with them.

After this conversation he change his thought about the general and found him as someone who reminds him a father and also he discovered his sentimental side what makes Joby reflects about the generals feelings and real behavior.